Democrats more likely than Republicans to donate to campaigns online

By a wide margin, Democrats outpace Republicans when it comes to donating online to the 2012 presidential campaign.

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Study: Democrats are more likely than Republicans to donate to 2012 presidential campaign online

Nearly 57% of Democrats who contributed did so online, compared to 34% of Republicans

Conversely, 87% of Republican donors have given money offline, compared to 57% of Democrats

Democrats who have donated to a presidential campaign this election are more likely than Republicans to have done so on the Internet, according to a new study.

Nearly 57% of Democrats who contributed to the campaigns have done so online, while only 34% of Republican donors used the Internet to make their contribution, found the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Conversely, 87% of Republican donors have given money in person, over the phone or through snail-mail, while 57% of Democratic donors have contributed offline (The numbers don't total 100% because people can make multiple donations in various ways).

Neither side is more likely to donate in general: Pew found that 16% of both Democrats and Republicans have contributed to a campaign in some fashion.

While offline donations are still the most popular form of contributions, the Internet's a close second: of the 13% of adults who contributed to a campaign, 67% did so in-person, on the phone or through traditional mail, while 50% donated online or via email.

What about cell phone donations? Democratic donors are more likely to send a donation via text message or app — 15% of them have done so compared to 6% of Republican donors.

However, cell phones are still far from a popular contribution method: even though the Federal Elections Commission cleared the path to cell phone donations for political candidates back in June, only 1% of American adults have used their cell phone to donate to a presidential candidate. Meanwhile, 10% of American adults have used their cell phone to make a donation for any purpose, such as emergency relief.

Have you used a cell phone or website to donate to a candidate? Share your thoughts in the comments.